As part of its Global Health Security Program, USAID partners with the Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations (FAO) to build critical capacity in partner countries to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks of zoonotic disease. FAO supports USAID’s Global Health Security investments by working to reduce the impact of zoonoses and stop the emergence and spread of potential epidemics and pandemics at the source.
TANZANIA
GLOBAL HEALTH SECURITY PROGRAM
UNITED NATIONS FOOD &
AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION
FACTSHEET
At a time when many people around the world are in closer contact with animals, more than 70 percent
of new, emerging, or re-emerging diseases originate from animals (zoonosis), and viral spillover has
become more frequent. These threats have manifested themselves over the past two decades in the
form of both epidemics and pandemics — SARS in 2003, H1N1 influenza in 2009, Ebola since 2014, and
COVID-19 in 2020. Infectious diseases do not respect national boundaries and can spread rapidly,
jeopardizing the health, security, and prosperity of every country — including the United States.
As part of its Global Health Security Program, USAID partners with the Food and Agriculture
Organizations of the United Nations (FAO) to build critical capacity in partner countries to prevent,
detect and respond to outbreaks of zoonotic disease. FAO supports USAID’s Global Health Security
investments by working to reduce the impact of zoonoses and stop the emergence and spread of
potential epidemics and pandemics at the source.
USAID.GOV FAO FACT SHEET 2
PROJECT GOALS
USAID’s Global Health Security work is implemented by FAO’s Emergency Centre for Transboundary
Animal Diseases (ECTAD), which plans and delivers animal health assistance to FAO member countries
responding to the threat of transboundary animal health events. The goal of these efforts is to improve
national capacity to pre-empt the emergence of infectious zoonotic diseases and prevent pandemics in
25 countries in Africa and Asia. To achieve this goal, FAO focuses its efforts on nine key areas of work
— five of which are part of USAID’s contributions to the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA).
1) Avian Influenza: Prevention measures including guidance on poultry production, biosecurity and
sanitary standards, and vaccination, as well as early detection and rapid response.
2) Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS): Surveillance and analysis to understand why, how,
and where the disease is spreading and its associated risk factors.
3) Africa Sustainable Livestock 2050 (ASL2050): Policy guidance to ensure sustainable and
safe livestock production — assuring livelihoods, food security and nutrition.
4) Emergency equipment stockpile: Deploying specialist resources for onsite rapid response
and containment of disease outbreaks.
5) Antimicrobial Resistance (GHSA): Prevent the emergence and spread of drug resistant
microbial pathogens and promote judicious use of antibiotics.
6) Zoonotic Disease (GHSA): Develop mechanisms for surveillance and coordinated One
Health responses and adopt policies and practices that minimize the risk of transmission of
zoonotic diseases from animals into human populations.
7) Biosafety and Biosecurity (GHSA): Identify, secure, and monitor dangerous pathogens in a
various facilities according to best practices — to avoid unintentional exposure or release, and
ensure the proper handling and storage of, dangerous biological material.
8) National Laboratory Systems (GHSA): Safely transport and accurately detect and identify
pathogens in biosafe and biosecure conditions through an effective nationwide laboratory
network.
9) Workforce Development (GHSA): Train a diverse veterinary workforce capable of
effectively collaborating with other health disciplines that include physicians, biostatisticians,
biologists, ecologists, scientists, and agriculturalists, building capacity to meet international health
regulations.
Original source can be found here.